The present invention relates generally to pick-up truck type vehicles which are provided with camper enclosures that cooperate with the load-carrying bed of the vehicle to provide a camper compartment. Specifically, the invention is concerned with a new and improved door assembly which is adapted to be mounted on the rearward side of the passenger cab of a pick-up truck to provide for the transfer of passengers, articles, etc. between the interior of the passenger compartment and the interior of the camper compartment. Such door assembly is intended to permit communication between the interior of the camper and the interior of the passenger compartment both during traveling and when the vehicle is at rest, whereby the space available within the passenger compartment and the interior of the camper compartment can be more readily utilized without necessitating that persons be required to move exteriorly of the vehicle when going between the passenger and camper compartments.
One of the problems associated with such door assemblies relates to the fact that relative movement occurs between the vehicle cab and the load-carrying bed and hence a relatively flexible seal is necessitated in order to assure against the ingress of moisture, noise, odors, etc., without any portion of the door assembly being rigidly interconnected between the cab and the camper. Another problem which is encountered in the provision of such doorways is the fact that it is necessary to cut certain portions of a rearward side of a passenger compartment away, with the result that the cab may undergo a loss of certain structural integrity. Additionally, of course, is the fact that in order to provide convenient installation of the entire door assembly, such installation must not require radical rebuilding of either the passenger cab, load-carrying bed or require extensive welding or other relatively difficult installation techniques.
The present invention is intended to provide a new and improved door assembly which satisfies each of the aforesaid requisites and hence provides a door assembly that is not only esthetically pleasing and structurally sound, but which can be installed with a minimum amount of time and effort. In particular, the present invention utilizes a door assembly incorporating a stamped metal one-piece door frame which is intended to be fixedly secured by suitable screws, bolts, rivets or the like to the structural portion of the cab, thus obviating the need for any welding operations or the like. Extending between the door frame and the associated camper enclosure is a one-piece accordian-like bellows which provides for relative movement between the camper and the cab, yet assures against the ingress of objectionable moisture, odors, noise, etc.. The door assembly of the present invention utilizes a one-piece transparent tempered glass door which is pivotably mounted so as to be movable into the camper compartment when in the open position and thereby not interfere with the space normally occupied by the driver and passenger within the vehicle cab. Additionally, the door is engageable with a seal arrangement which provides an effective weather-tight seal around the periphery of the door and serves a secondary purpose of fixedly securing the adjacent edge of the bellows to the door frame in a manner so as to obviate need for any mechanical attachment, bonding, etc., as will herein be described in detail.